Computer hardware and software
Key takeaways
- ICT covers the hardware, software, networks and systems used to create, store, process and exchange information, combining computing (data processing) with telecommunications (data transmission).
- Its functions are data capture and storage, processing data into information, communication, automation of repetitive tasks and decision support.
- Each generation of computers, from vacuum tubes through transistors, integrated circuits and microprocessors to artificial intelligence, made computers smaller, faster, more reliable and cheaper.
- The components work as a cycle: input devices capture data, memory holds it while the CPU runs the instructions, output devices present the results and storage keeps them, with the motherboard linking all of them.
- Choosing hardware and software starts from the work: the tasks, users, data volumes, existing systems, total cost of ownership and vendor support. Software is usually chosen first.
ICT concepts
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) covers the hardware, software, networks and systems used to create, store, process and exchange information. It combines computing (data processing) with telecommunications (data transmission), which is why a modern computer is inseparable from the network it connects to.
Functions of ICT
- Data capture, entry and storage
- Processing data into useful information
- Communication and information exchange, locally and over distance
- Automation of repetitive tasks and processes
- Decision support, through analysis and reporting tools
In a quality function these general functions take specific forms. Inspection results are captured on tablets rather than paper checklists, processed into defect rates and control charts, communicated to production teams as they occur, stored as evidence for audits, and analysed to find the causes behind recurring non-conformances. ICT does not make a quality system good, but it makes the data behind quality decisions faster to collect and easier to trust.
History of computers
The trend across the generations is more important than the dates. Each generation made computers smaller, faster, more reliable and cheaper, which moved computing from a few large institutions to every office and eventually into devices carried in a pocket. The practical result for an organisation is that tasks once needing a specialist data processing department can now be done at the desk of the person who owns the data.
Components of a computer
The components work as a cycle. Input devices capture data, which is held in memory while the CPU carries out the program's instructions on it; the results are sent to output devices and saved to storage so they survive when the power is off. The motherboard carries data between all of them. A slow link anywhere in that cycle limits the whole machine, so a fast processor with too little memory will still feel slow.
Classification of computers
Sizing storage for a growing quality records archive
A quality department scans and stores non-conformance reports, each averaging 2 MB, and expects to generate about 150 reports a month.
Monthly storage need = 150 x 2 MB = 300 MB.
Annual storage need = 300 MB x 12 = 3,600 MB = 3.6 GB (since 1 GB = 1,024 MB, this is 3,600 / 1,024 = 3.52 GB).
Over a five-year retention period required for quality records, total storage need = 3.6 GB x 5 = 18 GB, before accounting for backups or growth in report volume.
This kind of simple sizing calculation, converting a per-item size and a volume into a storage requirement, is exactly the classification-and-components knowledge above applied to a real decision about what hardware to provision.
Choosing hardware and software for a department starts from the work, not the product. The questions are:
- What tasks must be done.
- How many users there are.
- What data volumes are involved.
- Which existing systems the choice must work with.
- What the total cost of ownership will be including training and support.
- Whether the vendor will continue to provide updates and help.
Software is usually chosen first, since the hardware must then be able to run it.
Self-check
(a) Define ICT and explain why it combines computing with telecommunications. (3 marks)
(b) State four functions of ICT. (4 marks)
(c) A quality department stores 150 scanned reports a month, each 2 MB. Compute the annual storage requirement in GB. (3 marks)
(d) Name the six components of a computer and state the function of each. (6 marks)
(e) Distinguish a mainframe computer from a microcomputer. (2 marks)
Show worked answer
(a) ICT covers the hardware, software, networks and systems used to create, store, process and exchange information. It combines computing (data processing) with telecommunications (data transmission) because a modern computer is inseparable from the network it connects to.
(b) Data capture, entry and storage; processing data into useful information; communication and information exchange; automation of repetitive tasks; decision support through analysis and reporting.
(c) Monthly = 150 x 2 MB = 300 MB. Annual = 300 x 12 = 3,600 MB = 3,600 / 1,024 = 3.52 GB.
(d) CPU: executes instructions. Memory (RAM): temporary, fast storage the CPU works from. Storage devices: hold data permanently. Input devices: bring data into the system. Output devices: present processed information. Motherboard: connects and coordinates all the other components.
(e) A mainframe is a large system processing high volumes of transactions reliably, used by organisations. A microcomputer (personal computer) is a desktop or laptop for individual use.
Exam tip
The six components of a computer are commonly tested by function rather than name, be ready to say what a component does (e.g. 'temporary fast storage the CPU works from') and identify it from that description alone.